After a tiring draw against arch-rivals Manchester City in the Premier League, Liverpool are set to face Sparta Praha in the Europa League Round of 16 on Thursday. They thrashed the latter side 5-1 in the first leg and are almost confirmed a berth in the next round of the competition.
Needless to say, Boss Jurgen Klopp will rotate the squad and give other names a chance. The Reds will shift their focus towards the quarter-final match against Manchester United in the FA Cup. It will be a tough tie for them as they will battle the Red Devils at the Old Trafford.
4-3-3 Liverpool Predicted Lineup Vs Sparta Praha
Defence
Liverpool wouldn’t want to risk Caoimhin Kelleher against Sparta Praha in the absence of Alisson Becker. Adrian is likely to start as the goal-stopper with Fabian Mrozek being another option.
Right-back Conor Bradley will be retained by the management. Joe Gomez could move to the centre-back position alongside Jarell Quansah to provide rest to Virgil van Dijk. Ibrahima Konate has just returned from an injury and won’t be risked. Kostas Tsimikas is likely to feature as the left-back replacing Joe Gomez.
Midfield
There aren’t many options left to choose from for the midfield section. The likes of Curtis Jones (ankle), Ryan Gravenberch (ankle), Thiago Alcantara (hip) and Stefan Bajcetic (other) are sidelined for the clash.
The performing duo of Wataru Endo and Alexis Mac Allister could be rested to keep their legs fresh for the United clash. Dominik Szoboszlai is expected to continue operating in the midfield alongside Bobby Clark and 19-year-old James McConnell.
Attack
Mohamed Salah didn’t start against Manchester City but came off the bench. He looked fit and it will be a perfect opportunity to give him some game time on Thursday. He will be instrumental for the Reds in their tie against Manchester United this weekend.
Harvey Elliott, Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez are likely to start on the bench. Cody Gakpo should be starting the game with Lewis Koumas deployed at the left wing.
